By Michael Lindsay
The path was different, but the result is the same as 7 of the past 10 years: the Upperman Bees are district champions.
District 7-3A #3-seed Upperman (21-7) overcame an 8-point deficit Wednesday night to win the district championship over #4-seeded White County (20-11), 50-45.
“I’m super proud of these guys,” said Upperman head coach Bobby McWilliams. “They played so hard and have had a great year. They kept digging; I told them from day one they had a chance to do something special. I’m super proud of them tonight.”
Upperman was led in scoring by district tournament MVP Clayton Harris, who posted 15 points. Jaxson Bush also hit double figures with 12.
White County’s Jake Davis led the Warriors with 20 points, followed by 18 from Tomas Paul.
A neck-and-neck first quarter saw Sparta take a 10-8 lead via three Davis free throws with less than a second left in the opening frame.
White County took control of the early portions of the second quarter as they pushed their lead out to 8 points (23-15) via a Paul layup with 2:25 remaining until halftime.
“They (Upperman) kept their calm and never got rattled,” McWilliams said. “They trusted themselves and each other.”
The Bees responded with 41.4 seconds left in the second period as freshman Bronzden Chaffin finished an and-one to cut White County’s lead to 25-20 at the break.
Upperman opened the second half strong as the Bees went on an 8-3 run in the first 3:30 of the third period to tie the game at 28.
Sparta responded with a 7-0 run of their own to take a 35-28 lead over the Bees with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
Upperman pulled within 3 points of White County (37-34) by the end of the third as Kam Bush sank a buzzer-beating jumper from the left baseline.
The Bees wasted no time catching White County early in the fourth quarter as a Harris basket and two Brayden Roberts free throws put Upperman ahead 38-37 with 6:52 remaining.
The lead changed hands twice over the next 1:30 before a Paul layup put Sparta up 42-40 with 5:22 left. Upperman’s Hayden Petty answered with a corner three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving his team a 43-42 lead with 4:51 remaining.
“It’s a tough game and they’re really talented,” McWilliams said. “We were able to hang around enough to keep it close and finally take the lead.”
The Bees pushed their lead to two possessions (47-42) with 2:01 remaining via baskets from Jaxson Bush and Harris.
A Davis three-pointer with 1:27 left brought Sparta within two points, 47-45.
Following a defensive stop, the Warriors regained possession down by two points with less than a minute left.
With a district championship on the line, Upperman freshman Bronzden Chaffin made the biggest defensive play of his career as he blocked a White County shot attempt with 30 seconds left and tipped the ball off a Warrior player, giving possession back to the Bees.
Upperman ran the clock down to 18.5 seconds before Jaxson Bush was fouled and made two free throws, giving the Bees a 49-45 lead. Following another defensive stop, Chaffin hit one final free throw to close out Upperman’s 50-45 district championship victory.
The Bees have won a district championship in 5 of their last 6 seasons. Wednesday’s win follows the Upperman Lady Bees’ District 7-3A girls championship win over Livingston Academy less than 24 hours prior.
Along with Harris being named tournament MVP, Brayden Roberts, Jaxson Bush and Bronzden Chaffin were named all-tournament. White County’s Tripp Pinion, Jake Davis and Tomas Paul were also named all-tournament.
Up next for both teams is the Region 4-3A tournament. Both teams will host quarterfinal matchups on Saturday evening as White County hosts Marshall County and Upperman hosts Spring Hill.
Upperman (50): Clayton Harris 15, Jaxson Bush 12, Bronzden Chaffin 9, Hayden Petty 8, Brayden Roberts 4, Kam Bush 2
White County (45): Jake Davis 20, Tomas Paul 18, Thomas Brock 3, Tripp Pinion 2, Japheth Richmond 2
